What Is Cutting:
(1) It’s that time to finally lose that weight, shed the fat, and eat some delicious bland chicken, broccoli and kale for the next six months. In this video, we’re going to talk about the curious case of cutting and when and how to do it. Hello, my name is PictureFit and I make health and fitness post to help you with your gluteus gains.
(2) And one thing I learned through all my years of making videos is that sometimes it’s good to revisit previous topics to provide new information, add clarity, and most importantly, use the latest lingo of the current generation so I can stay relevant. That said, no cap, let’s jelly spread and toast some yams. Bet. Cutting, in its simplest term, is a nutrition strategy specifically designed for losing
(3) weight. In fitness, cutting is often paired in a repeating fashion with bulking, the strategy of gaining weight, in order to build muscle and shed fat over time. Shedding fat is primarily if not completely achieved during cutting phases. Building muscle is primarily achieved with the bulking, although muscle growth is still possible during a cut.
(4) But, outside of this cut-bulk strategy, cutting and losing weight in general is probably more commonly recognized as the most pursued fitness goal. Now, when people think about losing weight, they usually think about the countless diets out there, like keto, fasting, macros, full vegan, all meat, toasted yams, and so on. As complex and fancy some of these diets might sound, all weight loss diets essentially operate through the primary objective of cutting, and that boils down to the annoying word we
(5) all know and love called calories. Research has consistently shown that losing weight comes down to expending, or burning, more calories than you consume over a period of time. This creates an energy deficit, where your body will metabolize your energy reserves, like bodyfat, to sustain function. Ideally, the goal is to tap specifically into your fat reserves so you can shed more an more fat. Ideally, more on that later. So, with cutting, the big picture is managing calories, but of course, there’s a lot of other details to consider. One of which is knowing WHEN to actually cut.
Is Cutting Right For You?
(2) you look more “toned,” defined, or more fit. Although shedding fat is part of producing a more “toned,” whatever that means, or defined muscle aesthetic, it wouldn’t work very well if you don’t have the actual muscle. Worse yet, as mentioned earlier, although ideally, we want to lose specifically fat during a cut, if a cut is done carelessly, you can also risk losing a good amount of
- muscle. If you currently weigh about average for your height and sex, chances are that cutting is not the best option, especially if you’re a beginner. Instead, a slight bulk or something known as body recomp are likely better options. Both can help you build muscle and achieve the defined aesthetic you’re looking for,
- and maybe even do so without ever losing a single pound. I’ll have links to videos about both in the description so please check those videos out if you think they’re better suited for you. Another case against cutting is for younger folks, especially the ones that are smack dab in the middle of puberty.
- I am of the opinion that, barring any health-related concerns, one should… NOT attempt to cut at this very important stretch of their lives. Instead, it’s better to take proper advantage of this small window, and believe me it’s a small window, of your naturally elevated growth hormones by consistently exercising and getting enough nutrients. Save the cut for when you’re older. Moving on, if you are certain about cutting, then let’s quickly talk about the most opportunistic
When To Cut:
(2) lean mass, like muscle. Additionally, a very very low body fat percentage, like below 10% for males and 12% for females, can be extremely difficult to sustain in a reasonable and healthy manner. I recommend stopping your cuts a few percentages shy of these numbers unless there is a specific reason you need to be lower, like for a sport or competition. But frankly, if that was the case, you should already know what you’re doing and not watching this video. You can also cut your cut earlier if, again, your end-goal does not require very low body fat,
(3) like weight-specific goals or if you prefer an aesthetic with slightly higher bodyfat. If you don’t have the tools to measure bodyfat, a slightly decent alternative would be body mass index, or BMI. It’s not perfect by any means, but it does account for both your height and weight. Using the listed BMI categories, a good time to cut is if you’re above or at the upper end of the “normal” range. You can also just rely on the weight scale if you’re simply trying to reach a certain weight, but do keep your goals realistic.
(4) I would caution against using the mirror as a measurement tool. Remember, the lack of muscle definition might be a muscle issue more than a fat issue, which for beginners is not always clear when looking at the mirror. Skip the mirror and spend more time attuning to the other aforementioned measurements. Finally, if you are ready to start your cut, let’s get right into how you can achieve.
How To Cut:
(1) it. HOW TO TRANSITION First, I wanna quickly address exercise. Although nutrition is the primary focus of cutting, exercise is extremely important, especially in fending off muscle loss or even stimulating growth. The exercise strategy during a cut is not much different from exercising at any other point. To quickly echo what we know in the current science, you want to train about 3 to 5 times a week, target each muscle group 2 times a week, aim for roughly 2 to 4 sets of 6 to
(2) 12 reps for each exercise, prioritize compound exercises, take each set close to failure with occasionally reaching failure, and try to progress your numbers over time. I’ll leave a video link on exercise progression below if you need more help. And now, let us talk about the primary goal of cutting, and that is to be in an energy deficit by, again, consuming fewer calories than you burn. “Fewer calories” will vary for each person. To figure it out, we’ll start with using a calorie calculator, which will also be linked in the description.
- Punch in your information into the calculator and you’ll get your estimated maintenance calories, or the estimated number of daily calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight. Of course, since we want to lose weight, we want to eat less than this. Now, you can immediately start eating fewer calories than this given estimate, but I highly suggest you further refine this estimated maintenance by first eating at this estimate for 2 to 4 weeks. To figure out the calories in your food, you can use one of the many calorie-counting apps
- available. After the four weeks, if you lost or gained considerable weight, like 2 pounds or more, then you gotta adjust your estimate. What we know is that 1 pound of weight is simplified to roughly 3500 calories. So, for someone that gained 2 pounds after four weeks, they ate roughly 7000 calories more than they burned, or about 250 calories more each day. If their initial estimated maintenance was 2,250, then their refined estimate is 2,000 calories.
- Same applies the other way around. LOSING 2 pounds in four weeks means you ate roughly 250 calories fewer each day. Do the math for your estimate and adjust accordingly. Quick disclaimer: weight fluctuations beyond two pounds is not always attributed to calorie intake, especially for natural weight-changing circumstances like the natural cycle of the female sex. If you feel that your weight change was caused by something other than calories, it’s probably best to continue eating at the estimated maintenance until you feel more certain.
- With our newly refined maintenance, let’s now cut that number down. There are many ways to determine the number of calories to cut, but to keep things simple, I’ll discuss two popular methods: One is just reducing your calories by a fixed amount. I recommend a daily deficit between 250 and 500 calories, which should yield roughly a half to one pound of weight loss per week. This moderate deficit has multiple benefits, like struggling less with hunger, feeling less lethargic, and risking less muscle loss compared to bigger deficits.
- Cutting 250 to 500 calories a day, for most people, is a simple, no-frills approach. But if you want to consider bigger deficits, which does have its place, then you might want to use the more relative approach developed by the highly regarded fitness expert Greg Nuckols. Greg’s approach allows for a more intuitive and wider deficit range by taking your bodyfat and bodyweight into consideration. On his website, Stronger by Science, Greg recommends the simple formula of bodyfat percentage divided by 20.
- For example, if someone has 20% bodyfat, dividing that by 20 equals 1. That means the goal is to lose 1% of bodyweight per week. If that person weighs 200 pounds, that means losing 2 pounds per week, equating to a 1000-calorie deficit per day. Check out the link in the description to the entire article if you need more details as well as understanding Greg’s rationale for his approach.
Tips:
(1) Whichever of the two methods you end up choosing, you will start cutting down your weight and fat as long as you are consistent. Very very important. Fortunately, the following tips will help you with being consistent and achieve a more effective cut. First tip is to make sure you recalculate your maintenance on a regular basis. As your weight changes, so will your maintenance calories and deficit rates.
(2) Recalculating every two months or so will help you with any plateaus you might encounter. The next tip, which is more of a requirement, is to GET YOUR PROTEIN. High protein intake will be beneficial for muscle growth and preservation as well as managing hunger thanks to protein’s satiating effects. To keep things simple, try to get around 1. 6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day, or about 0.
(3) 8 grams per pound. More or less is fine but do try to stay as close to this as possible. Tip three is to add cardio wherever possible. In my opinion, it’s always better to burn more than to eat less to create a deficit. As you know, cardio can burn a lot of calories, which helps raise your maintenance and can allow you to eat more. This final tip might be surprising for some of you to hear but it’s probably the most
(4) important in terms of being consistent. And that is to try out those different types of diets. One of the biggest issues observed in weight loss research is dietary adherence, or the ability to stick with a given diet. No single diet has shown to be superior in adherence than others, and the only thing that improved adherence was preference. Choosing a diet you actually like.
(5) To do so, you gotta, of course, first try them out. By trying different diets, you might find that you love keto and hate intermittent fasting, or you might even love a combination of both. One friend of yours might find out that they love vegan food while your other friend is practically hunting his meal right now with a spear and Google Maps. Find out what works for you. I will just caution to avoid any “extreme” diets, especially ones promoted by influencers
(6) that aren’t exactly telling the whole story. Just remember, that whatever diet plan you end up choosing, your goal will always be to stay on top of that pesky, annoying, and effective energy deficit. Do that and you should be good to go. Just don’t forget your protein. And that wraps up cutting. Now there are many other tips and tricks for cutting and weight loss, like cheat meals,
- macros, and so on, so I’ll leave a few more useful post links in the description below along with links to everything else we discussed in this post . You can also join our PictureFit Community discord to get help from the wonderful folks there. I wish you all the best in your cutting endeavors. Other than that, If you enjoyed this post and found it useful, please give it a fatty thumbs up and share it with your toned muscle loving friend.
Certainly, here's a concise guide in table format on how to cut and lose weight the right way:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Set Realistic Goals | Define achievable and realistic weight loss goals. Aim for a gradual and sustainable approach. |
| 2. Balanced Diet | Focus on a balanced diet with a mix of proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. |
| 3. Portion Control | Monitor portion sizes to avoid overeating. Use smaller plates and pay attention to hunger and fullness cues. |
| 4. Regular Exercise | Incorporate a mix of cardiovascular exercises (e.g., walking, jogging) and strength training into your routine. |
| 5. Hydration | Stay adequately hydrated. Drink water before meals to help control appetite. |
| 6. Adequate Sleep | Ensure 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Lack of sleep can disrupt weight-regulating hormones. |
| 7. Mindful Eating | Practice mindful eating by avoiding distractions, savoring each bite, and listening to your body's cues. |
| 8. Consistency is Key | Be consistent with your efforts. Sustainable changes take time, and crash diets are not a long-term solution. |
| 9. Track Progress | Monitor your progress regularly. Keep a food diary, track exercise, and adjust your plan based on results. |
| 10. Seek Professional Advice | Consult healthcare professionals or nutritionists for personalized guidance tailored to your health needs. |
Certainly! Here are five questions and answers on how to cut and lose weight the right way FAQs:
1.Q: What is the first step in embarking on a healthy weight loss journey?
A: The initial step is to set realistic and achievable weight loss goals. Define a clear plan that includes both short-term and long-term objectives, ensuring a gradual and sustainable approach.
2.Q: How important is a balanced diet in weight loss, and what should it include?
A: A balanced diet is crucial for weight loss. It should include a mix of proteins, such as lean meats and legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats like those found in avocados and nuts. Portion control is also key to avoid excessive calorie intake.
3.Q: What role does exercise play in a successful weight loss strategy?
A: Exercise is a fundamental component of weight loss. A combination of cardiovascular exercises, such as walking or jogging, and strength training helps burn calories and build muscle. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
4.Q: How does adequate sleep contribute to effective weight management?
A: Lack of sleep can disrupt hormones related to hunger and stress, leading to weight gain. Ensuring 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night supports overall well-being and aids in maintaining a healthy weight.
5. Q: Why is mindful eating important, and how can it be practiced?
A: Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the eating experience. It helps prevent overeating by focusing on hunger and fullness cues. Practice mindful eating by avoiding distractions, savoring each bite, and listening to your body's signals during meals.